A Dangerous Game
by breaktherules
Summary: Misato and Ritsuko walk a dangerous line between love and hate.


Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

**-A Dangerous Game-**

The motel room was dark and a bottle of wine stood next to an overflowing ashtray and two empty glasses. There was a double bed occupied by two women, one who sat propped up against a pillow, as she inhaled a freshly lit cigarette.

The other woman lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Her hair was spread out against the pillows and the sheets were gathered at her waist; exposing her naked breasts and chest. She absently traced the scar on her chest and sighed deeply.

The blonde woman looked over at her and raised an eyebrow, "What is it?" she asked softly. Her long legs were stretched out on top of the sheets and her ankles were crossed.

"I was just thinking about our college days," the woman responded. "It seems so long ago, doesn't it?"

Ritsuko slowly exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke before answering. "Yes, I suppose it does. But some things have stayed the same," she responded, as she reached over and stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray.

"Like what?" the purple-headed woman asked playfully. She rolled to her side, propping herself up on her elbows, and looked at her friend. Misato's eyes gleamed with a mixture of mischief and desire.

"**This,"** the blonde answered in a whisper, as she came to Misato and kissed her; smelling of wine and cigarettes.

The two women kissed deeply with a mix of tenderness and heat. Ritsuko gently eased Misato onto her back, their breasts brushing lightly against each other as they embraced. With eager hands and gasped breaths, they moved together in harmony, stretching, seeking, until finally their union expanded beyond the limitations of their bodies. Flushed and damp and breathless, they shuddered in climax.

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Later, the two women lay next to each other in bed. Misato slowly sat up and poured the last of the wine into her glass. She took a sip and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. "I appreciate you bringing the bottle of wine, but I think still prefer my Yesbiu beer," she said lightly.

"You just don't appreciate the finer things in life," the blonde woman teased. "That wine was very expensive."

"Well, **you** can afford it," Misato replied. She ran her finger along the rim of the wineglass and grew pensive. "Remember when you said that some things have stayed the same between us?"

"Yes," Ritsuko nodded, trying to follow where her friend was going with this.

"A lot of things have changed between us too," Misato frowned. Then she turned and appraised the blonde with a determined yet sorrowful look. "What's **really** going on at Nerv?" she asked, her tone matter-of-fact.

Ristuko blinked hard. Her face reddened in anger as she glared at the other woman.

"So was **this** only about getting information out of me? she said, feeling hurt. She sat up and pulled the covers to her chest. "Underhanded tactics aren't your style," she scoffed. "I thought you cared for me,"

The hard look faded from Misato's eyes. She rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "Ritsuko, I **do** care about you...but I'm worried about Shinji."

"It was his decision to pilot an Eva," Ritsuko reminded her.

"But Shinji, Asuka and Rei- they're only children," Misato responded in a firm voice. "I do **not** like what's been happening lately,"

"And you think that **I **can put a stop to it?" Ritsuko asked angrily, throwing the covers aside. She pulled herself from the bed and reached for her clothes that were lying on the floor.

"That's not what I'm saying. But I do care about them, just as I care about you, and if there's anything at all that you can tell me that will help, we owe them that much. We've forced children to wage war for us and we owe them our lives. Is there anything you can do, anything you can tell me?" Misato pleaded, as she clasped her hands together and pulled them to her chest.

"No, I **can't**. And I don't like being used, Captain Katsuragi," the blonde said as pulled on her skirt and shirt. Ritsuko wondered if Misato had the emotions of a stone. "This will **not** happen again!" she warned her friend.

" Ritsuko, wait!" Misato reached out to grab her hand. "Please understand that I just don't want secrets being kept from me, that's all," she explained, as the blonde jerked her arm from her friend's reach.

She fixed Misato with an icy look as she finished buttoning her blouse, and pulled on her lab coat "Next time, find Kaji for your pleasure. Or the third child, for all I care," she retorted. Then she turned away and grabbed the rest of her things and without a backward glance left the motel room.

Misato squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then reopened them and sighed. Resignation slid over her face.She slowly rolled out of bed to walk over to the mirror hanging over the dresser. She stared at her naked reflection, once again touching the long scar under her breast. She had a sudden image of Ritsuko passionately running her tongue along the length of it. She aruptly turned away and began to pick up her underwear and bra off the floor.

She pulled on her clothes and reached for her necklace that lay on the dresser. She carefully fastened it around her neck, and noticed how the silver of the cross gleamed against her black dress. The cross had belonged to her father. It was all she had left of the man she both loved and despised.

Her father's cross and the scar on her chest were painful reminders of the second impact. She had witnessed hell on earth. She'd never forget the images that were forever burned into her mind.

She couldn't let it happen again. She tried to convince herself that was the only reason that she had slept with her friend. She looked back at the bed with its rumpled sheets, the nightstand with the ashtray full of cigarettes that had Ritsuko's lipstick on them, and the empty glasses and bottle of wine.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuko" Misato whispered to herself as she pulled on her red leather jacket. "But I **must** find out the truth."

To be continued-

Notes: In this story I am taking liberties with the Misato/Ritsuko dynamic. I just find this pairing very interesting and I'm sure there are others who do too.

Feedback is very much appreciated- it's the only way I can improve my writing and your suggestions can help influence future chapters. Thanks to lolwut for the dialog ideas. Heh.


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